A Democratic group is challenging Attorney General Greg Abbott’s claim that his oath of office requires that he defend billions of dollars in funding cuts for public schools. Abbott said this week that the reason he’s defending the cuts is because the Legislature passed them and it’s his job to defend them. “The attorney general in Texas takes an oath of office to defend the laws passed by the legislature,” Abbott said in Plano on Tuesday. “I’m fulfilling that duty.”

The Lone Star Project, a Democratic group backing Sen. Wendy Davis’s bid for governor, notes the oath Abbott took includes a pledge to defend both state and federal laws. But he hasn’t — at least not some federal laws. Abbott has attacked a host of federal laws, including the Voting Rights Act and Obamacare. In a statement, the Lone Star Project says Abbott is using the oath of office as an excuse to defend the $5 billion school funding cuts without saying whether or not he supports them. Abbott has refused to say whether he agrees with the funding cuts. “He has discretion as the state’s Attorney General to sue, defend, stand down, settle or pursue other options,” said Matt Angle of the Lone Star Project. “Greg Abbott simply does not have the guts to publicly say that he supports the unconstitutional Texas public school financing system and that he supports the $5 billion cut in public school funding passed by the Legislature in 2011.”

Abbott and Davis are the frontrunners to face each other in the 2014 governor’s race. Education funding has emerged as an issue in which they differ. Davis says she would have vetoed the funding cuts that Abbott is defending in court. Davis’ advisers believe her support for school funding will appeal to Texas voters, including suburban women she needs to win. In the Senate, Davis filibustered against the bill cutting Texas school funding by $5 billion in 2011. A number of school districts sued and Abbott is defending the cuts. Abbott launched a series of education-related campaign events this week to burnish his credentials on public schools.

Abbott spokesman Matt Hirsch responded: “The Texas attorney general represents the state of Texas, and he has an obligation to defend state law. The Texas attorney general does not represent the federal government. When the federal government violates the Constitution and infringes upon the constitutional rights granted to the States, then an attorney general like Greg Abbott defends the Constitution—and the people of Texas—and takes legal action.”

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The blog for the Dallas Morning News politics team tracks Dallas Fort Worth area, Texas and national campaigns.